Police Superintendent Warren Riley appalled by Danziger Bridge case

Michael DeMocker / The Times-PicayuneNew Orleans Police Superintendent Warren Riley listens to a question during a February 25th press conference at police headquarters related to a guilty plea in the post-Katrina shootings on the Danzinger Bridge.

"I've fired 178 police officers in four-and-a-half years. I've suspended over 600," Riley said, adding that he has tried to "put the fear of God in these individuals about their jobs ... and being professional and courteous. Why would they do this?"

Prosecutors allege NOPD officers fired upon six unarmed civilians crossing the Danziger Bridge after Hurricane Katrina flooded most of the city. Two were killed. Several officers then participated in an elaborate conspiracy to cover up the unjustified shootings, prosecutors say.

Saying he "is not making any excuse," Riley pointed out that the Sept. 4, 2005, bridge shootings came shortly after the murder of one of his officers by looters and two suicides on the force.

"So it was a very, very difficult and tragic time for everybody," he told the station, but quickly added: "It is inexcusable what the officers did who fired. They fired on these people innocently."

He added: "Not only should they go to jail, in my opinion, and I've always said it ... when you swear and take an oath to be a law enforcement officer and you break the law, it should double whatever the maximum time is that you get because it's inexcusable."

As for the culpability of NOPD brass in failing to expose the cover-up, Riley was contrite.

"Now, does that exonerate this administration completely? No," he told radio host Gerod Stevens. "Should we have known? Had our supervisors done their jobs appropriately and really delved into this, I would like to think under normal conditions and under normal times that would have happened."

However, Riley also pointed out that according to court records, the two officers who have pleaded guilty to conspiring to cover up the shootings held secret meetings and "agreed that they would make sure that nobody above them ever learned about this. So that in itself shows you the deceit that was involved in this, and to ensure that the command staff never, ever really knew about this."